Brooklyn Philharmonic
The Brooklyn Philharmonic is an American orchestra based in the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City. It has been called "groundbreaking" and “one of the most innovative and respected symphony orchestras of modern times.” Like the London Symphony Orchestra and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Brooklyn Philharmonic is considered "freelance" in that its musicians are not employed full-time, but rather are paid on a per-performance basis. The Philharmonic has long enjoyed a reputation for championing new music and for ambitious, innovative programming. In addition to performing the so-called classical “standards,” the Brooklyn Philharmonic has commissioned an impressive 65 new works from living composers as well, and has debuted 166 world premiers. The orchestra’s administrative offices are located in the artistic enclave of Dumbo in downtown Brooklyn. History The Brooklyn Philharmonic was formed in 1857 as the “Philharmonic Society of Brooklyn” under the baton of Theodore Eisfeld who served as its inaugural conductor until 1861, followed thereafter by Theodore Thomas who remained in position until 1891. The orchestra formally incorporated as a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation in 1954 under the name "Brooklyn Philharmonia". Its conductor at that time, Siegfried Landau, gave the orchestra a focus on contemporary and infrequently performed classical music. In 1982, the orchestra changed its name to the “Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra” while under the direction of American composer Lukas Foss, who was well-noted for his "Meet the Moderns" series. Foss’s successor, Dennis Russell Davies, expanded the orchestra’s programming to encompass festival-themed weekend programs. Robert Spano, the orchestra's next music director is credited with markedly improving the sound of the group while continuing its focus on unique programming. Spano’s successor, Michael Christie, added the concept of thematic programming to the orchestra's schedule. Finally, in 2011 the Brooklyn Philharmonic announced the appointment of conductor Alan Pierson, founder of the highly regarded ensemble Alarm Will Sound. Pierson is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as of the Eastman School of Music. Guests Performers Guest performers with the Brooklyn Philharmonic have, among others, included Yehudi Menuhin, Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, Itzhak Perlman, Loren Maazel, Peter Serkin, Michael Tilson Thomas, Jessye Norman, Robert Merrill, Alicia de Larrocha, James Galway, Victoria de Los Angeles, Roberta Peters, Claudio Arrau, Richard Stolzman, Leonard Rose, Byron Janis, Laurie Anderson, Elvis Costello, Lynn Harrell, Tania León and Andre Watts. The Philharmonic was even conducted once by Johann Strauss II in 1861 who is said to have impulsively snatched a violin from one of the other players to join in during The Blue Danube. The Brooklyn Philharmonic has also appeared multiple times on the television show Late Night with David Letterman. And Brooklyn Philharmonic recordings are widely available for download on iTunes, among other places. Concert Halls The Brooklyn Philharmonic served as resident orchestra for the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) from 1990 until 2005 and performs frequently in BAM’s Howard Gilman Opera House with 2,109 seats as well as in the same institution’s Harvey Lichtenstein Theater with 874 seats. It also performs regularly in the Brooklyn Public Library in the 189 seat Stevan Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture as well as in the Brooklyn Museum in the 460 seat Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium. The Philharmonic performs annually at many of New York's longest running art festivals, including Celebrate Brooklyn as well as at New York's largest church, Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The Brooklyn Philharmonic first performed at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in 1964, just two years after the opening of 2,738 seat Philharmonic Hall (now Avery Fisher Hall). The orchestra premiered in Carnegie Hall in 1973 and has continued to appear in Carnegie Hall’s main Isaac Stern Auditorium with 2,804 seats periodically, its most recent such concert at Carnegie having occurred in 2011. Artistic Directors * Theodore Eisfeld (1857–1861) * Theodore Thomas (1862–1891) * Siegfried Landau (1954–1971) * Lukas Foss (1971–1988) * Dennis Russell Davies (1991–1996) * Robert Spano (1996–2004) * Michael Christie (2005–2010) * Alan Pierson (2011–present) Educational Work The Brooklyn Philharmonic develops, financially supports and staffs some of the largest educational programs specifically aimed at financially disadvantaged children in New York. The Philharmonic’s “Smart Arts Academy,” to cite one example, provides free daily music, arts, dance, theater, sports, movie making, and enrichment activities to about 250 students per school annually totaling some 6,000 students from New York’s most financially challenged public schools. The Philharmonic’s educational programs are supported by funds obtained by and for the orchestra. Honors and Awards The Philharmonic has garnered 21 ASCAP awards for innovative programing. And it is routinely reviewed by critics and journalists from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, the Brooklyn Eagle, the Brooklyn Paper as well as radio stations WQXR and WNYC, among other media outlets. References External links * Official website Category:American orchestras Category:Brooklyn Category:Culture of Brooklyn Category:Culture of New York City Category:Musical groups from New York Category:Musical groups established in 1857 es:Orquesta Filarmónica de Brooklyn fr:Orchestre philharmonique de Brooklyn ru:Бруклинский филармонический оркестр